So I’m glad my wife was born before 1973 because she was the product of a consensual relationship that resulted in an unwanted pregnancy and the college student mother fortunately did not have the option to legally abort her out of convenience which allowed her to be adopted by a loving family. Today my wife’s been a labor and delivery nurse for 20 years and saved moms and babies lives on occasion by catching things that drs missed and we have 2 awesome kids together. She has benefitted many individuals and society by being allowed to live.

So I am against killing an unborn child (at any stage of development) out of convenience when sex is consensual because preventing pregnancy thru birth control is not overly burdensome and within a woman’s reasonable span of control, rights, and responsibility.

BUT rape is an exception.

Even if a raped woman gave her baby up the moment it was born, it would be unbearable for many women to be reminded over and over again of the terrible violence. It could even lead to suicide. So, I think in the case of rape it should be the mom’s choice to kill the unborn child (no need to use euphemisms) and if she does then the convicted rapist should automatically be convicted of murder because in the act of committing a felony he caused a fatality.

That said, before the mom makes the choice she should be counseled on what she might face if she goes on with the pregnancy and what she might face if she ends a human life. Based on the individual, there is the possibility that killing the unborn child might add to the trauma and the misplaced guilt that some women face after being raped.

There’s the potential that a rape victim who bears a child and gives it up for adoption might end with that child growing up to become someone that catches rapists or counsels rape victims. There’s also the possibility that they could become a rapist themselves as we are all born with the same potentials. Ultimately we become who we are by a combination of environment, genetics, and free will.